MADRID (AP) — Victor Reis scored with a diving header in injury time to give Girona a 1-1 home draw against Getafe on Monday and extend its unbeaten run to four matches in the Spanish league.
Girona was one of La Liga’s form sides coming into the game at the Estadio Municipal de Montilivi but it went behind after 59 minutes when Luis Vazquez got on the end of a nice delivery from Juan Antonio Iglesias Sanchez.
However, Reis threw himself at a last-gasp cross from Alex Moreno to lift the home side into 10th place on 25 points.
The late goal meant Getafe's winless run extended to seven games in the league, but the point lifted it out of the relegation zone into 16th place, one point above Mallorca.
Only four points separate Mallorca and ninth-place Osasuna.
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks assigned forward Nick Lardis to Rockford of the American Hockey League on Monday.
The 20-year-old Lardis, one of the team's top prospects, made his NHL debut on Dec. 13. He had five goals and two assists in 21 games with the Blackhawks.
“I think he's done a solid job,” coach Jeff Blashill said of Lardis before the move was announced. “He came in and early on probably was trying to find his way a little bit. I thought he got more confident. So I think he's done a good job of making a first impression to the coaching staff.”
Teuvo Teravainen is expected to return for Tuesday night's game at Minnesota. The veteran forward has been sidelined by an upper-body injury since Jan. 12.
Lardis was selected by Chicago in the third round of the 2023 draft. He had 71 goals and 46 assists in 65 games last season with Brantford in the Ontario Hockey League.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 30 points, and the Charlotte Hornets took a 50-point lead for the second time this month on the way to rolling past the Philadelphia 76ers 130-93 on Monday afternoon.
All five Hornets starters finished in double figures. Kon Knueppel and Moussa Diabate scored 12, LaMelo Ball added 11 and Miles Bridges finished with 10 for Charlotte, which has won three straight games for the first time this season.
It was 28-22 after one quarter — and then Charlotte outscored Philadelphia 81-37 over the next two quarters, taking a 109-59 lead into the fourth.
Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 17 for Philadelphia. Jared McCain added 16 and Quentin Grimes had 14 for the 76ers, while Tyrese Maxey was held to a season-low six points on 3-for-12 shooting in 25 minutes. Maxey's scoring average dropped a full half-point to 29.4 per game.
Charlotte became the first team since Phoenix in February 2009 to lead by 50 or more points in two separate games within the same calendar month. The Hornets led Utah by 57 on their way to a 150-95 win on Jan. 10.
The Hornets had one other lead of 50 or more points in the NBA's play-by-play era, which goes back to 1996. It's now happened twice more in a span of just over two weeks.
The game was moved up to a 3 p.m. start because of extreme weather conditions in the Charlotte area, all related to Winter Storm Fern.
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Charlotte. Philadelphia outscored the Hornets 34-21 in the fourth quarter and still took its second-worst loss of the season. The 76ers lost to Orlando by 41 on Nov. 25.
Japan unveiled its 2026 World Baseball Classic roster on Monday, which included Los Angeles Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as expected.
The Dodgers were initially reluctant about Yamamoto’s participation after his full workload last season, but his strong desire prevailed. He returned to Japan immediately after the World Series last year and carefully adjusted his training with his personal trainer, Osamu Yada, building his body to be able to compete in the WBC despite a shorter-than-usual offseason. He commented, “I’ve been training diligently this offseason to build the condition to compete in the WBC.”
Japan won the 2023 World Baseball Classic with strong performances from Yamamoto (two runs allowed in 7 1/3 innings, struck out 12 of his 27 batters faced), who was then pitching for the Orix Buffaloes, and Ohtani (.435/.606/.739 in 33 plate appearances; 9 2/3 innings, two runs, 11 strikeouts, got final three outs in title game).
At the winter meetings in December, Dodgers manager talked about the push and pull of players committing to play in the World Baseball Classic, which takes players out of spring training for potentially a few weeks, and can be especially disruptive for starting pitchers building up toward the major league regular season.
“I don’t want to be dismissive of what it means to them representing their country,” Roberts said in December. “I know the organization doesn’t but I do think that the conversations need to be had, will be had, as far as what each individual is taking on and whatever role that they might be taking on and what potential costs there might be. … But you can’t debate the emotion, what a player might feel of this potential opportunity.”
Japan manager Hirozaku Ibata said at a press conference Monday that the MLB players on Japan are expected to join the team for exhibition games against the Chunichi Dragons on February 27-28. Japan begins its World Baseball Classic schedule in Pool C in Tokyo, with its first game on March 6.
The Vancouver Canucks have 30 games remaining in the 2025-26 season. While the organization had hoped Vancouver could get back to the playoffs this year, the campaign has now turned into an opportunity to secure first overall in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. At this point, the focus needs to be on the development of young players as well as evaluating which experienced players should remain for the rebuild.
One younger player who the Canucks should give more of an opportunity to is goaltender Nikita Tolopilo. The 25-year-old has played in six games with Vancouver this season and looks ready to make the jump to the NHL as a backup. With very little travel over the final 30 games, after the Olympic break is the perfect opportunity to give Tolopilo the reins and show that he can handle a bigger workload in the NHL.
Before diving into what a plan could look like, it is important to note that Tolopilo getting more starts is only possible if Thatcher Demko is shut down for the season. According to GM Patrik Allvin, there is a chance Demko could be done for the year, but the organization is still exploring all options. For the sake of this article, it will be assumed that Demko is not returning for the rest of the season, leaving Vancouver with a tandem of Tolopilo and Kevin Lankinen.
While Lankinen should get the majority of starts leading up to the 2026 Winter Olympics as he will be representing Finland at the event, the final 25 games are a different story. As mentioned, with playoffs no longer an option, the Canucks should be focused on developing Tolopilo, which could mean giving him more starts than Lankinen over the final few months of the season. The organization should still have Lankinen play games, but a close to 50% split, or 13 games for Tolopilo, would be best for his development moving forward.
As mentioned, Vancouver's schedule is very home-heavy after the Olympic break. In fact, the Canucks will only play four games not in the Pacific Time Zone. With virtually no travel and only three back-to-backs, splitting the net between Lankinen and Tolopilo should not be an issue as long as both stay healthy.
Jan 17, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Nikita Tolopilo (60) makes a save against the Edmonton Oilers in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Overall, how Vancouver manages players over the next few months will be interesting. Trades should open up roster spots, which could be filled with those currently playing for the Abbotsford Canucks. Ultimately, the organization will have the opportunity to see if younger players are ready for bigger roles, which will help with evaluating team needs for the 2026-27 season.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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The Golden State Warriors face the Minnesota Timberwolves for the second night of a sudden back-to-back. The game will tip off Monday at 6:30 PM PT in Minneapolis and will be broadcast on Peacock.
Originally scheduled for Saturday, the Warriors–Timberwolves matchup was postponed to Sunday as protests intensified throughout Minneapolis in the wake of recent fatal shootings involving ICE agents. Many questioned whether the one-day delay provided enough time for fans, players, and the broader community to process the events surrounding the city.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says the Timberwolves were “suffering” through play amid the unrest in Minneapolis.
“They were struggling with everything that’s been going on and what the city has been through. So, it was very sad. It was a sad night.”
Regardless, the league moved forward with Sunday’s game, and the Warriors snapped a two-game losing streak with a 111–85 win over the Timberwolves. Golden State’s defense set the tone, as the team recorded 20 steals — the most in any NBA game this season — and turned those takeaways into a comfortable 22-point lead by the fourth quarter.
Kerr said the Warriors were sharp with their game plan and defensive rotations: “We didn’t make many mistakes. Took advantage of opportunities that were there. Lots of guys diving on the floor for loose balls.”
The blowout victory should prove helpful heading into Monday’s rematch, now the second game of a back-to-back. Steph Curry, who was able to rest Sunday’s game early after playing just 28 minutes, is listed as questionable with a knee injury but says he hopes to play Monday night.
Steph explains his knee flare-up yesterday and said he hopes to play again tomorrow pic.twitter.com/AeUf5vXqJj
However, with De’Anthony Melton and Al Horford inactive after playing the day prior, Golden State’s rotation will be short on experience and depth. Playing shorthanded, the Warriors will once again need their defense to carry them.
A major focus will be slowing down the Timberwolves’ backcourt of Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo. Edwards led Minnesota with 32 points and was a consistent mismatch on the perimeter, while DiVincenzo scored 22 points, including six threes.
Bader, who reportedly agreed to a two-year, $20.5 million dollar contract with the Giants on Monday, explained why he has the utmost belief in Vitello as a first-year MLB manager during an interview on “The Show with Joel Sherman & Jon Heyman.”
“I think it’s awesome, I really do,” Bader said when asked about Vitello’s hire. “Baseball is the same at every single level. You add some guys in the stands, it may speed up a little bit, but it’s the same game. If you have success at a very high level in the SEC, there’s no reason you can’t have success at the major league level. I’m excited for him and his family to go out and test that. I know he has got the energy for that.”
Vitello spent eight seasons at the University of Tennessee, posting an impressive 341-131 record while leading the Volunteers to the school’s first national championship in 2024.
Bader played his college ball at the University of Florida, making connections to plenty of players and coaches who are familiar with Vitello, all of whom seemingly had glowing reviews of the new Giants manager.
“Everybody I’ve spoken to that knows him — and I’m an SEC guy — I’m cut from the cloth of Brad Weitzel, Kevin O’Sullivan, and for those guys who know those guys over at Florida, we’re all cut from the same cloth,” Bader said. “So, that level of baseball, it doesn’t really get better in the country, in the world at that level.
“So I’m excited for him to take what he did, building a really, really good program at Tennessee, I’m excited to play for him and work with him and grow with him and learn from him because you never stop learning in this game at the major league level. So, it’s going to be exciting, I know he brings a lot of energy. Everybody has the greatest things to say about him, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Bader concluded by lauding Vitello’s high-octane energy, citing the need for an invigorated manager over the course of a 162-game season.
“You just want consistent, high, positive energy over the course of a seven, eight month season,” Bader explained. “I certainly have no reason to believe he can’t bring that ands I can’t wait to work alongside him. It’s going to be great, I know he’s excited, I know he has done a lot of things this offseason in creating that level of foundation and familiarity with a lot of his players, which is awesome. He cares a lot, clearly, which is great. I’m just looking forward to it all … I just can’t wait to dive into it all.”
So, did they only tell Kelly Oubre Jr. the time of the game had been moved up?
The Sixers turned in their worst performance of the season, getting boat raced 130-93 by the Charlotte Hornets Monday afternoon.
Tyrese Maxey had perhaps the worst game of his career, finishing with just six points and six assists shooting 3-of-12 from the floor. VJ Edgecombe was only slightly better, putting up nine points on 2-of-11 shooting and six rebounds.
Oubre was the only Sixer to show up in the first half, leading them with 17 points, going 7-of-12 from the floor. Brandon Miller led all scorers with 30.
With this not being just the front, but the road end of a back-to-back, Joel Embiid and Paul George were both out with left knee injury management while Charlotte was only down Mason Plumlee.
Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.
First Quarter
This shorthanded bunch certainly didn’t start as crisp with the matinee tip off. Of the Sixers’ first three baskets of the game, two of them were putbacks and two of them were also transition baskets. Oubre knifing his way through the paint for a right-handed layup was their first clean look of the day.
They weren’t stopping Charlotte, who made eight of their first 10 shots of the floor with every member of their starting five getting involved. When the Sixers finally did get a good contest in the form of an Andre Drummond block, the loose ball found its way to Moussa Diabate who unexpectedly buried a long jumper to beat the shot clock.
Jared McCain checked in late in the first, getting his first action in four games and first non-garbage time minutes in six. He was too long on his first three-point attempt and his second one just bounced on — both of those came on the same possession. Between his struggles and Quentin Grimes’ recent play, they are just getting no scoring production from the bench. Grimes shot 28% from three over his last 12 games coming into this one. While Grimes was able to draw a foul shooting one, it was Jabari Walker who hit their first three of the game with just over 30 seconds left, cutting the Hornets’ lead to six.
Second Quarter
Even if it was Kon Knueppel, it was good to see McCain go right at a defender and transition for a layup. His next drive attempt though was blocked by Miles Bridges. He finally got a three to fall but an illegal screen by Drummond wiped it off the board. Defensively, the Sixers continued to get shredded off the dribble and gave up a ton of open baskets in the paint as a result.
So many struggles start from the top, and it didn’t help that the Sixers’ offensive engine was off to another slow start. A 1-of-4 start saw Maxey start to defer a bit early. Checking back into the game, he came off a screen to get a three off and missed everything — it wouldn’t be his first airball of the quarter. They went over three minutes without a field goal before Edgecombe got on the board there with a three and a fast break dunk.
A quick five points for VJ Edgecombe and the Sixers are showing signs of life. pic.twitter.com/aNbz1b1DO6
The Hornets called a timeout to squash momentum and it worked. They immediately broke the Sixers’ full-court press for an open layup. After an Oubre three they scored on their next four trips down the floor. Trendon Watford checked into the game for the first time, got some good looking runners off the dribble, but couldn’t get either of them to go. His dunk attempt over Ryan Kalkbrenner went even worse. After playing a half that would have looked bad even for last year’s team, the Sixers went into the break trailing by 25.
Only a few minutes into the second half and plenty were ready to shut Maxey and Edgecombe down for the night to finally get them some rest. That’s not typically Nick Nurse’s way though. He left both of them out there, but at least started to go deeper down his bench by throwing Justin Edwards out there for the first time.
Both were finally pulled with a little over five minutes to go in the third. Even better, McCain was able to see the floor for some extended run. It was good to see the white flag finally be waved but falling down by 50 was still embarrassing. For as many blowouts as there are in the modern era only teams trying to lose every night like the Nets and Jazz have trailed by that much this season. McCain got himself another layup off the dribble but still struggled to build on that as the Sixers went into the fourth quarter in a 50-point hole.
Fourth Quarter
Yeah, by this point it was just Jared McCain watch, so here’s how he finished out his day. He finally got a three to fall when Dominick Barlow swung it to him, but missed his next open attempt. He is a better shooter than the amount of open looks he’s missed, but the way he’s pressing to make up for that and his inconsistent minutes are more than enough to hamper that development. He was quiet for much of the quarter but got a few more threes up, getting two more to fall, finishing with 16 points shooting 6-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-8 from deep.
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — French striker Thierno Barry scored his fourth goal in five games to give Everton a 1-1 draw at home to Leeds on Monday.
Leeds was dominant in the first half and took the lead in the 28th minute when Anton Stach’s low cross from the right ran across the 18-yard box to James Justin, who stormed in at the far post to score with a low shot.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin almost doubled Leeds lead three minutes later but hit the post from about four meters out. Leeds' early superiority was highlighted by the visitors having more shots in the first half — 10 — than in any league game since September 2021.
However, Everton coach David Moyes changed to a back three for the second half and the switch brought his side right back into the game.
Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow denied Barry an earlier equalizer and Iliman Ndiaye, back in the side after winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, also came close for Everton.
But it was Barry who finally got the goal 14 minutes from time when the big forward got in front of a Leeds defender to stab home a low cross from Idrissa Gueye, another of Everton’s returning Senegal contingent.
"His workrate is always really honest and he works hard but we need goals and he got one for us tonight,” Moyes said of the former Basel and Villarreal striker.
“The first half we weren’t at it and in the second half we were much better," Moyes added. “Thankfully, we got a goal back. We were fortunate to only be 1-0 down at halftime, but I could say the same as the second half — we could have maybe got a second goal.”
The draw was a blow to Everton’s European hopes. A win would have taken it into seventh, but it remained in 10th, one of four teams on 33 points.
Leeds moved to 26 points, six above the Premier League relegation zone and two points behind the clubs above it, Tottenham and Crystal Palace.
“Overall, it is a good result for us," Leeds coach Daniel Farke said. “It is another sign we are on a very good path. We edge another point closer to what we want to achieve. To come here with such a brave performance and come away with one point is encouraging but the job is not done yet. We still need to win a few more points.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t have the start to the season many expected, but they’re starting to head in the right direction. Going into Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic, the Cavs have won three straight, six of their last eight, and 10 of their last 14. This has landed them just two games out of the second spot in the Eastern Conference.
Despite being 47 games into the season, the Cavs still haven’t gotten a chance to see how this group looks when fully healthy. Max Strus (foot) has yet to play, and Darius Garland (toe) has admitted to not being 100% so far this season, and there’s no guarantee that he will be. Both injuries can make it difficult to evaluate what this team needs.
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According to Chris Fedor of cleveland.com, the Cavs aren’t planning on having a “drastic shake-up” at the deadline. Right now, this includes hanging on to Dean Wade and De’Andre Hunter. Both are players the Cavs have received offers for.
That doesn’t mean that the Cavs couldn’t make a minor move. Fedor pointed to Lonzo Ball as the player “most likely to depart.”
Ball does have value as an expiring contract. He is making $10 million this season and has a team option for next year. That could make him an attractive piece for a team looking to shed money going into next season.
The issue from the Cavs’ perspective is that they can’t take back anyone making more than $10 million in any deal for Ball, and they can’t aggregate contracts. This limits who they could possibly trade Ball for.
Fedor mentioned Jose Alvarado and Naji Marshall as players that the Cavs could target. The issue if you’re trying to trade for Marshall is that the Dallas Mavericks are currently over the first apron. Since Ball makes more than Marshall, the deal wouldn’t be legal from Dallas’s perspective unless a third team were to be involved.
The Cavs’ current cap sheet, combined with the injuries they’ve had to deal with this season, makes it difficult to predict what exactly the Cavs will do. But we’ll find out soon enough.
Shohei Ohtani’s hardly the only one bringing home hardware in his household.
The Dodgers superstar’s dog was given a unique award over the weekend that no MLB owner’s pooch has ever received.
Shohei Ohtani’s famous kooikerhondje pup, was given the National League Most Valuable Dog honors at the BBWAA Awards Dinner on Saturday. Shohei Ohtani
Decoy, Ohtani’s famous kooikerhondje pup, was bestowed with National League Most Valuable Dog honors at the BBWAA Awards Dinner on Saturday.
Decoy Ohtani, dressed in a bowtie, posed next to his new award after winning it over the weekend. Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani was so proud of the achievement, he actually posed for a picture with his pet and the plaque. He later snapped a photo of the dog wearing a bowtie next to the award as well.
Ohtani, of course, didn’t leave the ceremony empty handed either.
The 31-year-old, two-way player took home the MVP prize for the fourth time in his eight-year MLB career.
Decoy has seen a large portion of Ohtani’s best baseball seasons — the only member of the 50 home run/50 stolen base club got the dog a couple years ago and has given it an up-close seat to plenty of his biggest days.
Decoy helped “throw out” the first pitch on the night the Dodgers gave away a bobblehead that featured Shohei Ohtani and the dog. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
So much so, the team ended up honoring the two with a bobblehead in 2024. Decoy “threw out” the first pitch on the night of the memento’s giveaway to fans.
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Ohtani and Decoy have already been training together for the 2026 season, though the four-legged Ohtani might need to work on his fielding a bit more if he hopes for a MVD repeat.
VERONA, Italy (AP) — Former Aston Villa striker Keinan Davis scored for the seventh time this season as his Udinese beat struggling Verona 3-1 on Monday.
Verona remained second bottom of Serie A, equal on 14 points with last-placed Pisa, and it rarely looked like recording its third win of a dismal season.
Udinese took the lead after 23 minutes with a deflected shot from Arthur Atta. Although Emmanuel Orban equalized for Verona three minutes later, Verona’s hopes did not last long into the second half.
Alessandro Zanoli put Udinese back in front 13 minutes into the second period. Jordan Zemura’s free kick was blocked by the wall and while the ball fell awkwardly for Zanoli, his deft volley with the outside of his boot sailed into the top corner.
Davis’ confident finish after 66 minutes sealed the points for Udinese.
It remains in 10th but is now on 29 points, equal with ninth-placed Lazio, and one point behind Bologna.
The Los Angeles Kings have officially signed forward Taylor Ward to a two-year contract extension worth an average annual salary of $875,000, keeping him under contract through the 2027-28 season.
The @LAKings have signed forward Taylor Ward to a two-year contract extension worth an average annual value (AAV) of $875,000 through the 2027-28 season.
The deal is believed to be due to Ward's strong stretch over his limited minutes and a vote of confidence in the organization to reward him for his recent play.
Ward was recalled from Ontario to play for the Kings in early January due to injuries within Los Angeles' forward group and took full advantage of the opportunity. In his two games, Ward has scored two goals and two points, all resulting in a Kings victory.
The statsheets may not show much, but the 27-year-old winger has consistently brought energy and earned the coaching staff's trust in his role for the Kings' forward unit.
During the 2025-26 season, Ward has played nine games, scoring two goals, recording two assists, totaling four points, and posting a plus-3 rating. The numbers might not pop for fans, but his value on the ice, being a reliable two-way force and bringing energy on the ice for the starting group, brings a different level of energy for the team.
Ward's recent production against the New York Rangers and the St. Louis Blues, scoring a goal and assisting on plays that have helped the Kings win both games, has reflected the organization's desire to sign him and the coaching staff's trust in his performance.
The King's decision to extend Ward highlights the hard work he's put in this season, starting off in Ontario and never looking fazed at all when he stepped on the ice playing his first NHL game.
With a cap hit of $875,000, Ward provides flexibility while remaining NHL-ready and will continue to grow under the Kings' system and leadership. It's a great contract that represents taking advantage of the moment you've been waiting for in your career.
After being called up out of necessity, the Kings could've easily sent Ward back once their group returned from injury, but chose to trust his production and realize he belongs at the NHL level.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Portland Trail Blazers (23-23) at Boston Celtics (28-17) Monday, January 26, 2026 8:00 PM ET Game #46, Home Game #21 TV: Peacock Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, Rip City Radio 620, Sirius XM TD Garden
The Celtics return from a 2 game road trip to host the Portland Trailblazers for the second and final game between them this season. The Celtics lost 114-108 in Portland on December 28. The Celtics won the series between these two teams 2-0 last season. The Celtics are 77-50 overall all time against the TrailBlazers and they are 41-22 in games played in Boston. The Trailblazers have not played since Friday and the Celtics are playing in their 3rd game in 4 days, including a double overtime game against the Nets.
There are a few story lines to watch in this game. Anfernee Simons is playing against the team for whom he played the first 7 years of his career. Jrue Holiday will be playing his first game against the Celtics and in Boston where he won a championship. Robert Williaams missed the December 28th game and is questionable for this game. He has yet to play against his former team since being traded.
The TrailBlazers are not much different from last season. They have 4 of the same starters as they did when they played the Celtics last season. The starter that is missing is Anfernee Simons who was traded to the Celtics for Jrue Holiday. They signed Damian Lillard, who was waived by Milwaukee after he tore his Achilles last season and who is expected to miss this season. They bought out DeAndre Ayton, who was signed by the Lakers. They signed Blake Wesley as a free agent and they took Yang Hansen with the 16th pick in the draft.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 5.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 1 game ahead of 3rd place New York and 4th place Toronto, 2 games ahead of 5th place Cleveland, 3.5 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 4.5 games ahead of 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 7-6 against Western Conference opponents. They are 13-7 at home and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game.
The TrailBlazers are 9th in the West, 14 games behind first place Oklahoma City, 4.5 games behind 6th place Phoenix, and 7th place Phoenix, and 2 games behind 8th place Golden State. They are 2 games ahead of the 10th place Clippers and 3.5 games ahead of 11th place Memphis. They are 5-9 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 10-12 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game.
The Celtics had one game at home after a 4 game road trip. They played 2 back to back games on the road. This game begins a 4 game home stand where they will host Portland, Atlanta, Sacramento and Milwaukee. Then, they are on the road at Dallas and Houston before playing Miami, New York, and Chicago at home, taking them into the All Star Break.
The Trail Blazers are playing in the first game of a 3 game road trip and will play Washington on Tuesday and complete the trip at New York. They will return home for a 5 game home stand where they will host Cleveland, Phoenix, Memphis twice, and Philadelphia. They will then head back on the road to play at Minnesota and at Utah. That will take them into the All Star break.
Jayson Tatum remains out for the Celtics as he continues to rehab from the Achilles tear he suffered in last year’s playoffs. Josh Minott has missed the last 10 games with a sprained ankle and has been upgraded to questionable for this game. Neemias Queta has been battling an illness for the past 2 games and has played through it but he is questionable for this game. Luka Garza was a late addition and is questionable due to an illness. Jaylen Brown has been dealing with hamstring tightness in recent games and is not on the injury list at this time but may be a late addition.
For the Trail Blazers, Scoot Henderson (hamstring), Damian Lillard (Achilles), Kris Murray (back), Duop Reath (foot), Matisse Thybulle (thumb), and Blake Wesley (foot) are all listed as out. Deni Avdija is in danger of missing a second straight game due to a lower-back strain he suffered in Thursday’s win over the Heat. He is questionable for this game. If he can’t play, Sidy Cissoko will likely start in his place. Robert Williams III is also listed as questionable due to injury management. Avdija and Timelord will be a game time decision.
Probable Starting Matchups PG: Derrick White vs Jrue Holiday
SG: Payton Pritchard vs Shaedon Sharpe
SF: Jaylen Brown vs Deni Avdija
PF: Sam Hauser vs Toumani Camara
C: Neemias Queta vs Donovan Clingan
Celtics Reserves Anfernee Simons Chris Boucher Xavier Tillman Hugo Gonzalez Luka Garza Baylon Scheierman Jordan Walsh
2-Way Players Ron Harper, Jr Max Shulga Amari Williams Injuries/Out Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out Josh Minott (ankle) questionable Neemias Queta (illness) questionable
Head Coach Joe Mazzulla
Trail Blazers Reserves Jerami Grant Rayan Rupert Robert Williams III Yang Hansen
Two Way Players Sidy Cissoko Javonte Cooke Caleb Love
Injuries/Out Scoot Henderson (hamstring) out Damian Lillard (Achilles) out Matisse Thybulle (thumb) out Blake Wesley (foot) out Duop Reath (foot) out Robert Williams III (injury management) questionable Deni Avdija (back) questionable
Head Coach Tiago Splitter (Acting Head Coach)
Key Matchups Jaylen Brown vs Deni Avdija Avdija is averaging 26 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists while shooting 47.1% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists 1 block and 2 steals while shooting 50% from the field and 30.3% from beyond the arc. Avdija is questionable for this game and if he can’t play, then Sidy Cissoko should get the start here.
Payton Pritchard vs Shaedon Sharpe Sharpe is averaging 21.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is shooting 45.5% from the field and 33.9% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics this season, he finished with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal while shooting 50% from the field and 62.5% from beyond he arc. The Celtics need to do a better job of defending him in this game. Honorable Mention Derrick White vs Jrue Holiday Jrue Holiday is averaging 15.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 45% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the arc. He didn’t play in the Celtics first game against the Trailblazeers in Portland. This is his first visit back to Boston where he won a championship with the Celtics. This should be a good matchup between former backcourt teammates.
Keys to the Game Defense – I know I say it every game, but defense is the key to winning every game and will be the key to winning another championship. The Blazers have an offensive rating of 113.5 (21st) while the Celtics have an offensive rating of 121.2 (1st). The Celtics are 12th in the league with a defensive rating of 114.0 while the Blazers are 18th with a defensive rating of 115.1. The Celtics especially need to defend the perimeter as the Blazers are 3rd with 41.7 threes attempted per game. The Celtics allowed the bulls to hit 21 threes on 46.7% shooting. They have to do better at defending the perimeter. The Celtics need to keep making tough defense their priority and identity.
Rebound – As Pat Riley once stated, “No rebounds, no rings.” The Celtics are 11th with 44.9 rebounds per game while the Trail Blazers are 8th with 45.3 rebounds per game. The Celtics must make an extra effort to grab rebounds in order to give themselves extra possessions as well as to keep the Blazers from scoring second chance points, as the Trail Blazers are 2nd with 17.8 second chance points per game. The Celtics were out-rebounded 48-39 in the first game against the Blazers and they have to do better if they want to win this game. Three Point Shooting – The Celtics are 2nd in the league, taking 42.7 threes per game. The Blazers are 3rd, taking 41.7 threes per game. The Celtics make 15.8 threes per game while the Blazers make 14.1 threes per game. The Celtics need to focus on taking good shots and they need to move the ball so as to get open shots. Against the Bulls, the Celtics took 47 threes and made 15 while the Bulls took 45 threes and made 21. If the 3s aren’t falling, the Celtics need to get to the basket or take mid-range shots. They also must defend the perimeter because the Blazers can get hot and put up a lot of 3 pointers if left open.
Be Aggressive – The Celtics have to be the team that works harder and wants the win more. They have to dive for loose balls, go for every rebound and just hustle on every play on both ends of the court. They have to be aggressive in getting to the basket as well and not settle for outside shots, especially if they aren’t falling. Whether it’s the starters or reserves, they need to go all out with maximum effort. And they need to show that effort for all 4 quarters.
X-Factors Home and Fatigue – The Celtics are at home after back to back games on the road. They should get a boost from playing at home in front of their home crowd. The Trail Blazers are playing in the 1st game of a 3 game road trip and face the distractions of travel, hotel stays, and playing in front of a hostile crowd. The Blazers have been off since Friday while the Celtics are playing in the 3rd game in 4 nights, including a double overtime game. Fatigue could be a factor down the stretch.
Officiating – I know that I say this every game, but the officiating really is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew calls the game differently whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. Some refs favor the home team and some call it evenly and sometimes they just make a bunch of head scratching calls. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not let themselves get frustrated by the officiating.
How much snow did you get? Hopefully it’s all cleaned up by now.
Anyways, the Bruins and Rangers will renew acquaintances tonight at Madison Square Garden, with the B’s looking continue a nice recent run of results and the Rangers simply looking for a glimmer of brightness in a very disappointing season.
